Graeme Dott is through to his first Embassy World Championship final after a dramatic 17-15 win over Matthew Stevens.
The 26-year-old from Glasgow, who had won only two matches at the Crucible before 2004 in a 10-year career, clinched a meeting with odds-on favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan.
It will be a meeting of the `Pocket Rocket' (Dott is only 5ft 6in tall) and `The Rocket' with O'Sullivan overwhelming favourite to collect a second world crown.
Victory over Stevens also ensured that avid Rangers fan Dott would retain his place in the top 16 for the 2004-2005 campaign after provisionally slipping from 13 to 26 in the current rankings. For the first time in the match Dott was made favourite at the start of the final session by bookmakers Ladbrokes at 4-6 with 2000 world finalist Stevens having gone out to 11-10.
It was Stevens who was first to strike with a 111 clearance - his eighth century of the tournament - after Dott had broken down on 22 when missing a red with the rest. But Dott has shown throughout this tournament he is made of stern stuff and he responded by taking the next two frames.
A run of 27 to the final green enabled him to collect frame 26 and he held his nerve in the next after Stephens had led 53-0. The Welshman then missed a yellow and in the process fouled by knocking a red down the pocket - and in stepped Dott with a superb 55 clearance. That put him three frames ahead but Stevens kept his hopes alive by knocking in a 76 before the interval.
Stevens looked to have thrown away the next when he missed the final yellow when 55-33 ahead. But the initiative was handed back to him after Dott snookered himself on the brown after potting the green and he was able to nick the frame. Stevens then levelled matters with breaks of 32 and 35 in the next which meant the match would now effectively be decided by a best-of-three frame shoot-out.
First blood went to Dott with the aid of an opening run of 36 although there were errors from both players as the tension predictably mounted. Then it was all over 28 minutes later as Stevens got out of a snooker on the final blue but left the ball over the middle pocket - and in stepped Dott to close out the match.
Semi-final result:
M Stevens (Wal) 15-17 G Dott (Sco)
42-54, 0-126 (50, 76), 76-0, 22-67 (61), 66-55 (Dott 55), 49-76, 124-15 (115), 45-66 57-26 89-0 (84) 0-117 (117) 54-80 (Stevens 54, Dott 50) 0-95 69-56 (53 Stevens) 65-27 (51) 1-71, 3-85 (61) 104-0 (104), 84-13 (84) 71-5 (52) 73-1 (73), 1-85 (74) 8-89, 38-85 (69), 111-22 (111), 32-72, 53-59 (Stevens 53, Dott 55), 76-9 (76), 65-43 (55), 82-12, 13-76, 54-62 (51)
Filed by Mark O'Neill-Cummins
